Business Briefs

The company sold 15 million global depositary receipts at US$9.3448 each, with one unit representing 10 common shares, Wistron said in a statement to the Taiwan Stock Exchange yesterday. It didn't say how it plans to use the share-sale proceeds.

Wistron said on July 19 it planned to sell shares to investors abroad for funds to buy raw materials. In a separate statement to the stock exchange, Acer said it raised US$65.4 million selling 7 million global depositary receipts of Wistron.

■ TSMC to use 45nm technology

The world's largest supplier of made-to-order chips, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), plans to start using 45-nanometer technology, which will help cut costs.

The measurement refers to spaces between transistors. The company can make more chips per silicon wafer by shrinking chip sizes, helping to lower costs.

"We certainly have plans" to introduce the technology, Tzeng Jinn-haw (曾晉皓), a spokesman for the Hsinchu-based company said yesterday. "We'll use the technology for production when time is right," he said, without giving a timeframe.

In the second quarter, TSMC generated 43 percent of sales from 0.13 micron (130 nanometer) technology and more advanced ones, the company said on July 26. TSMC plans to start producing chips using 65-nanometer technology around the end the year, Tzeng said. Currently the smallest is 90 nanometers.